OuterSignal for Slack
Get a message in a Slack channel when a customer matches a segment you care about, with the details your team needs to act on it.
Opens OuterSignal Settings. You connect Slack from inside your OuterSignal account.
What OuterSignal for Slack does
OuterSignal researches the people behind your store's orders: who they are, what they do, and how they fit your customer base. In OuterSignal you group customers into segments, such as high-value buyers or a specific persona, and attach playbooks that run when a customer joins a segment.
The Slack app is one of those playbook actions. When a customer matches, OuterSignal posts an alert to the Slack channel you chose, so your team sees it where they already work instead of checking a dashboard.
How it works in Slack
One bot user posts to channels you pick
After install, an OuterSignal app user is added to your workspace. It posts only to public channels you select in an OuterSignal playbook, and joins only those channels.
Alerts are triggered by your segments
A message is sent when a customer enters a segment that has a Slack Message action. You control which segments send alerts and to which channel.
Messages are one-way
The app sends messages and nothing else. It has no slash commands, buttons, or shortcuts, and it does not reply to or store messages from your workspace.
What an alert can include
Alerts include these details when OuterSignal has them. In each playbook you can turn off the order link, buyer email, products, SKUs, matched rules, and persona.
- Customer name and email
- Occupation and persona
- Public social profiles and follower counts
- Order number and items purchased
- A short written overview of who the customer is
- Which segment rules the customer matched
Alerts contain information about your own customers. Send them to a channel whose members should see that information.
Install OuterSignal for Slack
You need an OuterSignal account. Slack is connected from inside OuterSignal so the workspace is linked to the right organization.
Sign in to OuterSignal
Go to app.outersignal.com and sign in as an owner or admin of your organization. Only owners and admins can connect integrations.
Open Settings, then Integrations
Find the Slack card on the Integrations page and click Connect.
Approve the app in Slack
Slack shows the permissions listed below. Choose your workspace and click Allow. Slack sends you back to the OuterSignal Integrations page, where the Slack card now shows Connected.
Choose a channel
Open Playbooks, create or edit a playbook, and add a Slack Message action. Pick a public channel from the Channel list and turn off any optional details you do not want in the alert.
Send a test
Click Send Test. OuterSignal joins the channel if it is not already a member and posts a test message with your organization name, so you can confirm alerts will arrive.
What the app can access
These are the permissions Slack asks you to approve during install, and what OuterSignal does with each one.
| Permission | What OuterSignal does with it |
|---|---|
| channels:read | Lists your public channels so you can pick one in OuterSignal. |
| channels:join | Joins the public channel you picked so the app can post there. |
| chat:write | Posts customer alerts and test messages to the channel you picked. |
| channels:history | Lets OuterSignal see activity in the alert channel, such as replies your team posts under an alert. |
| channels:manage | Lets OuterSignal set up a dedicated public channel for alerts, so you do not have to create one first. |
| chat:write.customize | Lets alerts post under a name and icon that match the playbook that sent them, so your team can tell alerts apart at a glance. |
What OuterSignal stores
OuterSignal keeps the access token Slack issues at install, your workspace name and ID, the app's bot user ID, and the permissions granted. Each playbook stores the ID of the channel it posts to. OuterSignal does not store the contents of your Slack channels.
Disconnect or uninstall
Stop alerts from OuterSignal
In OuterSignal, go to Settings, then Integrations, and click Disconnect on the Slack card. OuterSignal stops sending messages and turns off the Slack actions in your playbooks. If playbooks use Slack, you are asked to confirm first.
Remove the app from Slack
In Slack, open the app's page from Tools and settings, then Manage apps, and choose Remove App. This revokes OuterSignal's access token for your workspace. A workspace admin may need to do this step.
Privacy and support
Read how OuterSignal collects, uses, and protects data in our Privacy Policy.
For help installing or using the Slack app, email contact@outersignal.com or use our contact page. You do not need an OuterSignal account to reach support.